Edwin H. Barton was born in New Jersey about 1845 according to genealogical records.  In the Mint records they show him as having been born in Pennsylvania.  He was the weigher in the Coiner's Department in 1881 and became a long term Mint employee who served in several different capacities.

Edwin Barton would have been 36 in 1881, and in the 1880 Federal Census he is shown as single.  He married Elizabeth Louise Kenney on October 17, 1881 and was 13 years her senior.  He died in New Orleans on November 4, 1897 at the age of 53.

We were unable to locate any information on Issac Bates other than his birth in Louisiana.

Her name was probably Eliza Beals, but it is difficult to prove.  She was born in Louisiana.

Matthew Bengert was born in Prussia (Germany) in 1832 and in 1881 would have been 49 years old.  He was married to Marie who was 5 years his senior.

He was one of two blacksmiths listed in the General Department.

Andrew L. Black was a machinist in the Coiner's Department.  He was born in Ohio and would have been ?? years old in 1881.

He was married to Verrett Black.

Maximilian Ferdinand Bonzano was one of the most skillful and colorful employees at the Mint.  He was born in Germany, never married, and would have been 60 years old in 1881.  He was a druggist and physician before entering public service.

He had the opportunity to hold just about every position of importance in the Mint, but often turned down promotions to remain in his position.  He left for the north at the outbreak of the war but returned in 1862 when the city was recaptured.  Dr. Bonzano was obviously held in high regard and once turned down the Superintendent's job when offered by the President.  When the Mint was being considered for reopening he was the one trusted to do a survey of the existing building and equipment to determine what work needed to be done first.

In 1846 he survived the sinking of the steamship New York that was carrying passengers and bullion from Galveston to New Orleans.  So fate or divine providence played a part in his role at the Mint.

Michael Brady was born in Ireland in 1812 and at 69 years old would have been one of the oldest employees at the Mint.  He was a workman in the Melter and Refiner's Department and at $2.25 per day would have held one of the lower paying jobs.  At the outbreak of the Civil War he would have been too old to serve for either side and we do not know where he spent the War years.

He was married to Katherine Brady who was 18 years his junior.  In 1880 their son, John, was still living with them at the age of 30.

Benjamin F. Butler was the Assistant Coiner and probably just missed the cutoff to have a salaried position.  At $6.00 per diem he was one of the higher paid employees.

He was born in Indiana and in 1881 was 33 years old.  He was married to Stella Butler who was 8 years younger.  In 1880 they had no children.

Mrs. Clementine Cahn was one of the few women working at the Mint in a position of management or authority.  At $3.00 per diem she was one of the higher paid non-salaried employees.

In 1881 she was only 28 years of age.  She was born in Georgia, but her father was a German immigrant and her mother from South Carolina.  In the Mint records she is listed as "Mrs."  While the 1880 census does not indicate that she is a widow, it does show that she is married.  At 25 it seems highly unlikely that she would have been a war widow.  She may be listed on a passenger list as immigrating to the United States from Germany on February 21, 1878.  So did she leave her husband behind in Germany?

Mrs. Eleanor Cantelli was a Louisiana native and in 1881 would have been 39 years old, but already a widow.  She and her husband, Ed, are shown in the 1870 census with three children.  In the 1880 census her son is grown and gone, and she is living alone with her daughter.

Adjustors and counters were among the lowest skilled workers in the Mint and that is reflected in salaries.  The census indicates that she can read and write, but until her husband's death there may have been no reason for her to develop her skills.

Mrs. Louisa Clark was an adjustor and one of the lower paid employees at the Mint.  The Mint records show her as married, but we have been able to find little information on her before or after 1881.

George G. Converse was a native of Ohio but we have not been able to find additional information on him.  As the Assistant Assayer he held a position of responsibility and it is reflected in his salary.

Miss Virginia Cretien was the daughter of a French immigrant and a Louisiana native.  In 1881 she was listed as an Adjustor at the Mint, which was not a skilled position.

She was born in Louisiana in 1859, and in the 1876 New Orleans City Directory may be listed as "Virginie Chretien,"  We would assume that this was a starting job for a young woman of the day and not a career.

She married James G. Sandidge June 27, 1887 and they had two children.

Martin V. Davis was born in Philadelphia in 1844 and was 37 years old in 1881.  He was married to Sallie C. Davis.  When appointed by the Senate to the Superintendent's job he was already a Mint employee and was serving as its Coiner.  The Superintendent job was offered to Dr. Bonzano who turned it down and recommended Davis instead.  Rutherford B. Hayes nominated him for the job on December 2, 1878.

As Superintendent, Davis would have been the second highest ranking Treasury official in the city.  The highest ranking would have been Benjamin F. Flanders the Assistant Treasurer.

William B. Dickey was already working for the government in 1878 as a Customs Inspector before joining the Mint staff.  He was born in Maine in 1847 and would have been 34 in 1881.  In the 1880 Federal Census he is listed as single.

John Donnellan was an Irish Immigrant and would have been 41 in 1881.  He died in 1894 at the age of 54.

George Drury was born in New York and would have been one of the higher paid non-salaried employees.  He seems to have been a professional government worker, serving as a clerk in the Governor's Office in 1876.  By 1883 he had gone to work for the IRS in New Orleans, so his Mint career may have been a stepping stone to another career.

Nicholas Faust was a lower paid employee listed as a yardman.  In the 1870 Federal Census he lists himself as a "messenger at the mint", so he was a longer term employee.  In 1881 he was 38 years old and married to Adele Augusta Fromberg, a Louisiana native.  They had six children ranging in age from 15 to 2.

He would have been of fighting age during the Civil War, but there are Nicholas Fausts listed in both armies, so it is unclear which side he fought for.

In 1880 he lists his birthplace as Alsace, France so he was probably a first generation immigrant.  In other records he lists his birthplace as Germany.  He continued to live in New Orleans and died there in 1908 at the age of 65.

His older brother George Faust worked in the Assistant Treasurer's Office, so nepotism was alive and well even in 1870.

Michael Fersing was a 51 year old German immigrant who served as the doorkeeper at the Mint.  He was married to Lena Fersing who was five years younger.  They had four children ranging in age from 17 to 8.  He died in New Orleans in 1901 at the age of 73.  He was a long term employee, listed in 1875 as a night watchman, and was still listed in 1892 as the doorkeeper.

In the Civil War records he is listed as a private fireman in Company A of the Orleans Fire Regiment, a Confederate commission.

Thomas Fielding was working at the Mint in 1879, so he was one of the early employees as the Mint reopened.  He was born in New York.

He was born in New York in 1840 and would have been 41 in 1881.  In the 1880 Federal Census he is listed as a widower, living alone as a boarder.  In the 1879 list of Mint employees he is also listed as a blacksmith.  In 1883 he was still listed as the blacksmith, but now with an assistant.

He was born in Ireland around 1846 and in the 1880 Federal Census is shown married to Sarah Ann Harris from Alabama, but also of Irish descent.  They had five children ranging in age from 8 to 1.  In 1881 he was 35 years of age and he continued to live in New Orleans until his death in 1910.  By 1890 he is listed as a widower as Sarah died in 1888.

He immigrated to America in 1855 and we believe he was a Union soldier fighting with the New York 67th Infantry Regiment.

Mrs. Annie E. Geale worked as an adjuster in the Coiner's Department, a position that was one of the lower skilled jobs.  She was still holding this position in 1879 and continued to hold it until at least 1893, so she became a long term Mint employee.

According to mint records she was born in either Louisiana or Georgia but in 1880 is listed as a widow.  The surname Geale is most often Irish, so she probably married someone of Irish descent.

Mrs. Ella M. Gillen was born in Missouri and was the widow of Abraham K. Gillen a native of Arkansas.  In 1881 she would have been 28 years old.  According to the 1880 Federal Census she had two children, a son and a daughter.  Her husband, Abraham K. Gillen was an Arkansas native and their children were born there.

He could have been a soldier in the war, but was still alive in 1870, so she was not a war widow.  She was only 15 when married and would seem to have been a person with few marketable skills.  Her maiden name was Ella Mathews.

Archibald Glenn was a native of Mississippi and in 1881 would have been 25 years old.  He was still living in a family group that included his mother and three younger siblings, and the family was probably of Irish descent.

In 1888 he married Lizzie P. Taylor in New Orleans.

He was still working at the Mint in 1900, so he became a long term employee.

Miss Caroline E. Glenn was born in Arkansas in 1860 and would have been 21 in 1881.  She was a younger sister of Archibald Glenn but was occupying a low skill position in the Mint.

Jules Gouzy was born in 1842 and was 39 in 1881.  He held a position of some responsibility as the Adjuster of Scales and Weights.  He was born in Louisiana and was the son of French immigrants.  He was married to Ellen Gouzy and they eventually had three children.

Although he left the Mint at some point, he continued to work for the Federal Government.  In 1885 he was working for the Engineer's Office as a Lampist.  He died in 1913 at the age of 71.

John Hanley was an Irish immigrant but has been difficult to locate.  There is a John Hanley in the area who lists himself as a blacksmith.  This is certainly the possible person but it will take more research.

Mrs. Harriet Sophia Zacharie Hardee had one of the lower paid and skilled jobs at the Mint in 1881, but by 1886 she had risen to the job of Forewoman of the Adjusters.  In 1892 she held the same position, so she was a longer term employee.

She was born in New Orleans in 1836 and died in 1908 at the age of 72.  Her husband predeceased her and we believe he was Thomas Sydenham Hardee who died in 1880.  He was born in Savannah, Georgia and was a Confederate officer serving with General Hardee.  They had six sons, so her life after his death could not have been easy.

Miss Addie C. Hebert was an adjuster at the Mint.  She was a Louisiana native, born in 1859 and was 22 in 1881.  In 1883 she married L. John Pickerel and by 1900 they had an eleven year old daughter.  She was not a daughter of Alexis Seraphin Herbert, but may have been related.

Alexis Seraphin Hebert, Jr. was a Louisiana native and had a skilled position in the Coiner's Department as a machinist.  He was born in 1838 and in the 1880 Federal Census he is shown as married to a Hester Ann Beasley.  They had five daughters ranging in age from 12 to 6.  He died in 1902.

In the biographical records of Louisiana he joined the Mint in 1878 as a machinist and was then promoted to Foreman of the Press Room in 1882.  In a biographical note it stated that "Mr. Herbert has been a faithful servant in the position he holds, and has done his work as if the whole load fell upon him and has never asked any one to carry any share that properly belonged to himself."

He was in the Confederate Army, serving three different times.  Captured near the end of the war he was released from a POW camp in San Antonio at the war's end.

Jacob W. Helfrich was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1858 and would have been 43 in 1881.  Prior to coming to New Orleans he listed his occupation as a machinist.  In the 1879 list of federal employees he is listed as the Assistant Coiner, so he had assumed the full duties of the Coiner when M. V. Davis became the Superintendent.

Patrick Henderson was an Irish immigrant who was born in 1824, so he would have been 57 in 1881.  In the 1880 Federal Census he is shown as a widower with three children ranging in age from 17 to 8.

A native of Pennsylvania, Lawrence D. Herbert was already working at the Mint in 1878 and continued to be listed as a workman at least through 1883.  Prior to his Mint work he served at the Customs House in several different capacities.

Mrs. Aimee Marie Hopkins Hill was born in Maryland in 1844 and would have been 37 in 1881.  As an adjuster she had one of the lower skilled jobs at the Mint.

She married in William Murdock Hill, but in the 1880 Federal Census she is listed as a widow living with her mother. She had a son age 10 and a daughter age 8 still at home.  She died in Maryland in 1903 at the age of 60.

Ebenezer Vose Hitch was born in Massachusetts in 1841.  Prior to his service at the Mint he worked at the Customs House.  He was married to Mary Beatrice Fields and in 1880 they had 4 children ranging in age from 1 to 13.  He died in New York in 1914 at the age of 73.

He was a Union soldier in the Civil War and served in several different units between 1861 and 1865.  One of those units was the 1st Louisiana Calvary (Union), which may have led to his marriage and job at the Customs House.

As the Cashier he had one of the more responsible and higher paying jobs at the Mint.

Joseph B. Hunter was a native of Louisiana and was one of the first men hired when the Mint reopened.  In 1879 he is already listed as a Workman in the Coiner's Department.

He is listed in the soldier's pension roster as a Regimental Sergeant Major who served in the heavy artillery from 1863 through 1866.

Park H. Jeanes was born in Pennsylvania.  In 1881 he had a responsible and good paying position as the Assistant Weigher in the General Department.  In 1879 he is listed as the Foreman of the Annealers in the Coiner's Department at a salary of $3.50 per day, so he had moved up.

Eyrick O. Johansen was born in Sweden in 1844 and was 37 years old in 1881.  He married in 1875 and in the 1880 Federal Census he is listed with his wife Mary Kate Grogan, and two young daughters.  In 1910 he is listed as a Postal employee and this would be after the Mint had closed, so that is probable.  He died in 1915 in New Orleans at the age of 71.

John Johnson was a Louisiana native but very little else is known about him.

Frederick K. Jones was born in Ohio in 1847 and held the responsible job as the Deposit Melter.  He 34 years old in 1881 and was married to Mary G. Murray who was one year younger and also an Ohio native.  They had two children ages 9 and 3.  He enlisted in the Union Army in Ohio near the end of the war when he turned 18, but served only four months.

He continued to work at the Mint until his death in 1886 at only 43.

Mrs. Emma Kays was born in Louisiana but nothing else is known about her.  As an adjuster she had a job of lower skill.

Peter Kiernan was an Irish immigrant.  He had one of the more responsible jobs at the Mint as his salary reflects.  He was born in 1833 and would have been 48 in 1881.  He and his wife Bridget Begay Youree had three sons and a daughter.  They were living in New Orleans in 1870 and he listed his occupation as a bookkeeper.  In the mid to late 1870s he was employed at thew Customs House, so he was already a government employee when the Mint reopened.

In 1885 he is listed as a storekeeper in the Mint at a salary of $4.00 per day, so it would appear that he was demoted for some reason.  The job of weigh clerk had been transferred to a Benjamin Thompson.

He died on October 28, 1886 in New Orleans at the age of 53.

Liska B. Bright was born in 1858 in Louisiana.  She was married to a John Knox who died and then she remarried Andrew Morin in 1884.  She had children by both marriages, and survived both husbands.

John Otto Krage (Korage) was born in Louisiana in 1853.  His parents were German immigrants.  He was 28 in 1881 and working in the Melter and Refiner's Department  He married Hortense Anna Gollain in 1882 who was five years his junior.  She only lived another five years and died in October of 1887.  He continued to work at the Mint until his death in 1920.

He died in New Orleans in 1920 at the age of 66.  When he died he was living with his sister and a daughter.  Based on the daughters age it is possible that she was their first daughter and Hortense could have died in childbirth.

Jacob Kundert was born in Switzerland in 1838 and was 43 in 1881.  He immigrated here in 1870 He was married to Kate Margareth Andres who was twelve years younger.  In the 1880 Federal Census they are listed with three daughters.  His wife was born in Louisiana but her parents were German immigrants.

He was holding the job of Foreman of the Cleaning Room in 1879.  However in 1903 he was still working at the Mint with a title of workman for only $2.50 per day.  This could have been an age issue since he was 65.

Miss Suzanne Kundert may have been the sister-in-law of Jacob Kundert.  In the 1880 Federal Census she is shown as living in his household and would have been 35 in 1881.  She was born in Switzerland in 1846.  In the census she is listed as single, so she may have been divorced or her husband may not have immigrated with her to America.

Late in life she was living in the Saint Anna Asylum, a residence for destitute women.  So her financial road was a difficult one.

Mrs. Mary Anne Lane was a Scrubwoman at the Mint and had the lowest paying job at $1.00 per day.  She was an Irish immigrant but also a 37 year old widow with five children.  In the 1880 Federal Census her children ranged in age from 12 down to 1.  Her husband, John Lane, died in 1880 of "dropsy" at only 41.  Dropsy is an old term for edema or a build up of fluid in the body.  He too was an Irish immigrant and in the 1870 Federal Census is listed as a Customs House employee, so that may have opened the door to her Mint employment.

She died in 1922 at the age of 78.  We were unable to locate her maiden name and they could have been married when they arrived in America.

Edward Albert Lever was a New York native of English heritage.  At $3.00 per day he had one of the more responsible non-salaried jobs in the Mint.  In 1881 he was 36 years old and married to Hellen Inez Gosselin who was 14 years his junior.  He is listed as the head of the household but it included his mother-in-law, three sisters-in-law, and one brother-in-law.  His wife and her family were all born in Louisiana.  By 1900 they had three teenage children.

Edward served in a New York Signal Corp regiment during the Civil War from 1861 to 1863.  Hellen died in 1910 and he died in 1916 in New Orleans.

Elias Raphall Levy was born in New York in 1856 and hired in Washington, D. C. to work at the New Orleans Mint.  In the 1880 Federal Census he and his wife, Sarah Abrams, are listed without children.  She was from Massachusetts and born in 1859.  They were married in New Orleans in 1879.  They eventually had three daughters and two sons.

In 1881 he was only 25 but held a responsible position as the Computing Clerk.  He seems to have been a man on the way up because he shows up in the 1900 Federal Census back in Washington as a bank clerk.  In 1910 he lists his occupation as an accountant, but this could have been a job within a bank.

He was obviously too young to have served in the Civil War.  He died in 1918 in Washington, D. C.

Miss Margaret Louise Littrell was born in Kentucky in 1852 and was therefore 29 in 1881.  The job of adjuster seems to have been reserved for women, and she was still listed in this position in 1900.  But in the New Orleans City Directory for 1892 she is listed as a bookkeeper, so perhaps she had advanced to a different position at the Mint.

In 1892 and in 1906 she is still listed as single, so it seems unlikely that she ever married.  She died in New Orleans in 1923 at the age of 71.

Webster Long, Jr. lists himself as a Clerk In US Mint in the 1880 Federal Census, but in the official records he is listed as a Workman in the Coiner's Department.  In 1881 he was 31 years old and married to Catherine Clark in 1871.  They had three children ranging in age from

He moved with his family to New Orleans between 1850 and 1860.  But at the outbreak of hostilities he would have been no older than 12.  Although difficult to tell it would appear that the family moved North during the war and then returned to New Orleans after the war ended.  He died in New Orleans in 1891 at the age of 42.

Mrs. Mary Lynch held one of the lower paid positions as an Adjuster.  She was most likely of Irish descent, but there are dozens of Mary Lynches in New Orleans in 1880 and it is impossible to sort them out without more data.

Leonard Magruder was a Workman in the General Department in 1880 and his salary was slightly higher than workmen in other departments.  This was the first year of his long employment at the Mint.  He was born in Louisiana in 1861, so he was not a soldier.  He married Georgia L. Smith in 1884 and they had one son, Leonard Smith Magruder, Jr. who died at the age of 17 in 1904.

He was a young man on the rise and in the August 8, 1885 Louisiana Democrat there is a glowing article describing his promotion to the position of Melter and Refiner.  In the 1910 Federal Census he lists his job as a Assistant Messenger at the Mint, but based on his career this is most likely a misunderstanding and he was the Assistant Assayer.  By 1930 he was listed as the Assayer at the age of 69.  So he was definitely a long term Mint employee.

He died in 1934 in New Orleans at the age of 74.  Georgie continued to live until 1946 and died at the age of 92 in New Orleans.

William A. Martinez was one of the higher paid non-salaried employees at the Mint in 1881.  He is listed as one of two clerks in the General Department.  According to Federal records he was born in Louisiana.  Unfortunately there are no matches for him in the Louisiana records.

Jean Emile Mary was born in 1822 in Louisiana and employed as one of the workmen in the Coiner's Department.  In 1881 he would have been 59.  In 1861 he married  Felicie Eulalie Bosque and they had six children.  His parents were French immigrants and her grandparents were from Spain.

He was a Confederate soldier serving in the 13th Louisiana Infantry.  He was captured at Spanish Fort, Alabama in 1865 and served as a POW for only one month until the war ended.

He died in 1885 in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi at the age of 63.  She died in 1919 in New Orleans at the age of 84.

George H. McCay was employed as one of 14 workmen in the Melter and Refiner's Department.  He was born in 1855 in Louisiana and was 26 in 1881.  He stayed with the Mint and was still there in 1891, but was still listed as a workman.  In one city directory he lists his job as a Melter, which was probably within the scope of being a workman.  He would have been too young to serve in the Civil War.

He married Mary Villa in 1874 and in 1881 they had one daughter and two sons.  She was also born in Louisiana in 1859.  George's parents were Irish immigrants, while Mary's parents were from France.

John Henry McCue (McKeough) was born in New York in 1845.  Although very young, he was a Union soldier during the Civil War.  In 1881 he was 36 years old.

As Foreman of the Rolling Room he obviously had a position of responsibility, but the pay did not indicate that the position was one of great importance.  In the 1880 Federal Census he lists his position as an Engraver, so there may be some type listing error between the Federal Register and the census..

He married Frances Holloway in 1874 and they had ten children, eight boys and two girls.  He died in 1902 in Mobile, Alabama.

David George McDonald was a native of Maine but moved to New Orleans in the late 1870s.  He held the position of Foreman Cutters.  In the 1870 Federal Census he lists his occupation as an engineer and mechanic, so when the Mint opened his skills would have been valuable.

Born in 1839, in 1881 he was 42 and married to Georgia Lynch.  She was nine years younger and they had three children ranging in age from 11 to 5.  The family had moved around as they lived in Mississippi in 1871, but Georgia was a Louisiana native and they were back there before the Mint reopened.  In the 1880 census their household also included Georgia's mother, Elmira Lynch, so they could have moved back to live with her.

In 1881 David had just three years to live as he died in New Orleans in 1884 at just 45.  Georgia lived another 38 years, dying in 1923.  The whole family is buried in Pike County, Mississippi.  Based on his surname alone it would seem that his family roots were in Scotland.

We have not been able to locate any information on William McLay.

Moore, John H.

John H. Moore was born in Ireland in 1831 and was 50 years old in 1881.  He married Josephine Moore who was 12 years younger.  In 1880 they had four daughters ranging in age from 12 to 1.  Josephine was born in Louisiana, but was also of Irish descent.  He was the right age to have fought in the Civil War but his name is too common to exactly pin down his service.

The job of Watchman seems to have been a mid to lower level one at the Mint and equivalent to those of workman.

Watchman, General Department,

$2.25 per day ($55.76)

Alexandre Mouton was born in Louisiana in 1853 and would has 28 in 1881.  He was unmarried and living at home with his parents and nine other siblings.  In the 1880 Federal Census he lists his occupation as a machinist, but he was already the Foreman of the Coining Room in 1879.  So he was one of the early Mint employees when it reopened.

1881 was a big year for him since he married Marie deCopppens in July.  She was seven years younger but died in 1884 at just 25, probably in childbirth.  He remarried Helene B. Baillio in 1888 and the eventually had a family of four children.  He was too young for Civil War service, but in the image to the right he seems to have a false left eye.

In the 1920 Federal Census he lists his occupation as a mechanical engineer.  He died in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1938 at the age of 85.  His family had lived in Louisiana for several generations prior to his birth, but immigrated there from France via Nova Scotia.

Mudge, Carson

Carson Mudge was from Michigan.  He was born in 1838 and at 43 was one of the older workmen at the Mint.  In the 1880 Federal Census he listed his occupation as a stone mason, and this may have been his role at the Mint.  By 1883 he had risen to the Foreman of the Cutting Room with a salary of $3.50 per day.  He was still holding this position in 1885 at the same salary.  But by 1900 he had become a policeman (constable) and was still listed as one in 1910 when he would have been 72 years old.

He married Eliza Wilson and in 1880 they had one son age 12 in 1881.  They later had a daughter in 1884.  He fought for the Union during the Civil War in the infantry, and while mainly serving in the west he was in the Battle of Fredericksburg.  He was declared an invalid in 1891.  Eliza claimed benefits as a widow after his death.  He died in 1914 in New Orleans at the age of 76.

As a small side note, he ran for Congress in 1890 as the Union Labor Party candidate but drew less than 200 votes.

Workman, Coiner's Department,

$2.75 per day ($68.15)

Myers, Annie P.

Miss Anna P. Myers was born in Louisiana and was working at the Mint in 1879.  As late as 1907 she is still listed in the city directory as single, but without an occupational listing.  In the 1876 city directory she is listed as a teacher, so perhaps this was a step up.

We believe she was the daughter of Frederick and Elisabeth Myers and was born in 1866.  If this is correct then she was only 15 in 1881.

Adjuster, Coiner's Department,

$1.75 per day ($43.37)

Northon, Henry

Henry S. Northon (Norton) was born in Norway in 1851 and in 1881 was 30 years of age.  He arrived in America in 1868 and became a citizen in 1874.  His wife, Marguaret Austin, was born in Louisiana but was of Irish descent.  She was seven years his junior and they were married in 1877.  By 1900 they had five children, two sons and three daughters.  They ranged in age from 16 to 4.

At some point he left the Mint because in the 1910 Federal Census he lists his occupation as a Commission Merchant.  But in the 1891 Federal Register he is still at the Mint as a Workman, but his pay had advanced to $3.00 per day.

He died in 1927 at the age of 76 in New Orleans.

Workman, Melter and  Refiner's Department, $2.25 per day ($55.76)

Oliver, Clara

Mrs. Clara Victoire Marie Lazzarette (Oliver) was born in Louisiana in 1829.  Her father's family had been in the New Orleans since 1777.  Her mother was from Scotland and a first generation immigrant.

In 1881 she was 52 and holding an Adjuster's position, one always held by women.  In the 1880 Federal Census she is listed as a widow living in the house with her sister's family.  She had two teenage sons living with her.  Her husband was  Andrew Oliver.

She continued to work as an adjuster at the Mint well into the 1890s.  In 1889 she was still there as an Adjuster making $3.00 per day.  She died in New Orleans in 1898 at the age of 67.

Adjuster, Coiner's Department,

$1.75 per day ($43.37)

Edwin Claudius O'Neal was born in 1853 and in 1881 was 28 years old.  The previous year he married Mary C. Murray in New Orleans.  He became a long term employee and in 1886 listed his occupation as a Melter, and into the 1910s still listed himself as a Workman at the Mint.

He died in 1922 in New Orleans at the age of 69.

Ange Palms (August Palm) was a Belgium immigrant who held the position of Foreman Machine Shop, and in that capacity he earned $3.50 per day.  In the 1879 City Directory he listed his occupation as a machinist at the Mint and we believe this was the person listed in the Federal Register.  There is also an Ange Palms in the directory but he is not at the Mint and could be the father.  If this is the correct person then he was born in 1813, so in 1881 he was 68, which seems somewhat unlikely.

It is difficult to believe but this is a common name among Belgium immigrants and sorting out the correct man is almost impossible.

Aurelius Parker was born in Maine in 1837 and had one of the few salaried jobs at the Mint.  In 1881 he would have been one of the senior employees at age 44.  In 1879 he was already holding the bookkeeper position, and he was still in the same job in 1883.   But in 1891 he is listed as a postal clerk at the same salary.

He married a Henrietta, but no other information could be found on them.   He was a private in the Union Army during the Civil War.  He died in New Orleans in 1892 at age 55.

James Parker was born in Louisiana but this is a very common name and we have not been able to sort out many of the the records for this James Parker.  He is listed in the 1891 city directory as a Melter, so we know he was at the Mint at least 10 years.

Charles Rene Penot was born in Louisiana in 1841 and was 40 in 1881.  In 1869 he married Amanda who was six years younger, and they had five children in 1881.  Charles was of French descent.

In various city directories through 1902 he lists himself with occupations that would indicate that he was still at the Mint.  He died in 1910 in New Orleans.

Mrs. E. T. Proctor was born in Louisiana but nothing else could be located.

Mrs. Mary D. Walden Proctor was already working at the Mint in 1879 as an Adjuster.  She was the wife of Frederick Proctor, but his widow in 1881.  She was born in Virginia in 1845 and was 36 in 1881.  In 1908 she was still working at the Mint as an Adjuster, so she was a long term employee.

She died in New Orleans in 1916 at the age of  71 with no heirs.  So we would infer that she did not remarry.

Born in Louisiana, Charles Ramos was single in 1881 and only 20 years old.  He worked in the Coiner's Department under the general category of a Workman.  In 1880 he was still living with his extended family that included his father, step mother, 3 sisters, a brother, 2 step sisters, a brother in law, and 2 roomers.  His father was a Spanish immigrant.

In 1879 he is listed as a postal worker, so he was already a Federal employee when the Mint reopened, and this may have been the door opener that got him to the Mint.  There are many men named Charles Ramos in the area and after 1881 he seems to have moved or his records are not distinguishable.  It is also possible with his skill set that he moved into another profession.

Andrew J. Redmond was born in New York.  He had a responsible position as an engineer in the General Department.  In 1876 he is listed as a Tax Collector in the city directory, so he was already working in the public sector when the Mint reopened.  In 1885 he is still listed in the same job as the Engineer but after that disappears from the records.

Emile N. Richard (Emile Napoleon Richards) Born in 1842 in Louisiana, Emile N. Richard was employed as a Workman in the Melter and Refiner's Department.  At his per diem he must have been one of the more skilled workman.  Interestingly in 1880 he is listed as single and still living at home with his extended family of 11.  This would have been after the death of his first wife, Bridget Dunn.  His father was born in Prussia and his mother in France.

He seems to have been a Confederate soldier and fought as a Private with the 4th Regiment of the Louisiana Infantry.  This unit fought many battles and it was likely that he was at Shiloh and other battles toward the end of the war.

He was married twice.  First in 1865 to Bridget Dunn but we found no information on their marriage other than they are shown in the 1870 Federal Census.  In 1881 he married Juanita P. Barcelo so it was a busy year for him.  She was born in 1856, so she was eleven years his junior.  He died in 1892 at the age of 50 but his obituary gives no cause of death.  Juanita lived another 31 years and died in 1923 at the age of 67.

In 1881 Charles Edouard Richards was 41 years old.  He was born  in Louisiana to parents who were both first generation immigrants.  His father was from France and his mother from Germany.  He was married to Julia R. Eschmann in 1873, the daughter of German immigrants.  Julia was seven years younger, and they were married in about 1873.  They had one son and two daughters.

In the 1880 Federal Census his occupation was listed as a saddler (saddle maker) so he was moving up with a job at the Mint.  In later census data he is listed as a engineer, so his education and skills were obviously much higher than a workman.

He was the right age to have fought in the Civil War but so far we have not located his records.  Having been born in Louisiana he was likely a Confederate soldier if he was enlisted.

He died in 1920 at the age of 79 in New Orleans.  Julia died in 1909, also in New Orleans.

James Riley was born in West Hoboken, New Jersey in 1837 and hired as a watchman.  In 1881 he was 44 years old and married with four children, all boys.   Eventually they had a total of 8 sons.  His wife, Anna H. Scranton, was born in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey.

In the Civil War we believe he served in the Maine 12th Infantry Regiment as a private.  He died in New Orleans in 1906 at the age of 69.

William Parker Ripley was born in Massachusetts in 1857 and was 24 years old in 1881.  He is also listed as single and living as a boarder.  He eventually married Anna Elizabeth Slater in 1888 and they had one daughter in 1896.  Anna was one year older than William.  When their daughter, Elizabeth A. Ripley, was born they were living in Washington, D. C. and his occupation was listed as a government clerk.  Their daughter had a twin who either died in childbirth or shortly thereafter.

In all subsequent Federal Censuses he is listed as a government clerk in some capacity.  However, in the 1930 Federal Census he is shown alone in Orlando at the age of 72 and Annie is in Miami.  Since they are buried together we assume they had separated for health and care reasons.

In each Federal Census they are listed as having boarders and this may have been from necessity rather than choice.  They both died in 1838 and are buried in Orlando, Florida.

Boyd O. Robinson was born in New York in 1822.  He was of Scottish descent and his parents were first generation immigrants.  He was listed in the 1869 New Orleans City Directory, so he was there long before the Mint reopened.  In the 1860 census he is listed as a court clerk, and in 1850 and 1870 he is listed as a police officer.

Boyd was married to Eliza Jane Robinson and they had at least three daughters.

Died 1882 in New Orleans.

William Robinson was born in England about 1851, so was a first generation immigrant.  There are a number of William Robinsons in the area and none listed themselves as Mint workers, so he may have gone under a different name in the Federal Census.

In 1879 he is listed as a workman in the Coiner's Department, so he was one of the early rehires to open the Mint.  In 1883 through 1887 he was listed as a Roller, meaning he worked at the job of reducing ingots to silver strips used to make planchets.  In 1891 through 1903 he is listed as the Foreman of the Rolling Room, so his perseverance paid off in terms of advancement, but his pay had only advanced to $3.50 per day.

Andrew Marcus Rostrop (Rostrup) must have been a skilled person because along with Max Bonzano he is listed as a Mint employee in 1875 long before the Mint reopened.  Although at this early date he is listed merely as a Workman making $3.50 per day.  Max Bonzano was probably working to assess the work needed to reopen the Mint.  In the 1880 Federal Census he lists his occupation as a Refiner.

He appears in the 1891 Federal Register as the Foreman of the Melter and Refiner's Department making $5.50 per day.  Although born in 1822 in Denmark he became a citizen in 1852, long before his Mint employment.

He married Eliza Jane McCarthy in 1847.  They had 5 children listed in the 1850 Federal Census.  He would have been too old for service during the Civil War.  He died in New Orleans in 1903 at the age of 81.

Dennis Rostrop (Rostrup) was the youngest son of Andrew Marcus Rostrop, so nepotism was alive and well in the 1880s..  He was born in 1846 in Louisiana, making him 35 in 1881.  He is listed as the Foreman in the Assayer's Department, but this must have been a lower skilled position than other foreman because his pay is equal to only a Workman's in other areas.  In the 1891 city directory he lists his occupation as a Melter at the Mint, so he obviously became a long term employee.

He died in New Orleans in 1905 at the age of 59.

James Mathias Rostrop (Rostrup) was the oldest son of Andrew Marcus Rostrop, so nepotism was alive and well in the 1880s..  He was born in 1839 in Louisiana, making him 42 in 1881.  He is listed as a Workman in the Coiner's Department.

He married Theresa Agnes Ross around 1895 and they had 6 children in 1881.  He died in New Orleans in 1921 in New Orleans at the age of 82.

Born in 1837, Jean Pierre Roude was a French immigrant who arrived here in 1867.  In 1878 he married to Caroline Whitman who was fifteen years his junior.  They had one child in 1880.  However, they also list three other children, one only 8 years younger than Caroline, so he must have been married before.  With a 28 year old wife and a 20 year old daughter things must have been lively in the household.

In the 1880 Federal Census he lists his occupation as a butcher, so the move to the Mint was probably a move up.  He died in 1903 in New Orleans.

Frederick (Frank) Schuber was born in Germany in 1838 and would have been 43 in 1881.  He was married to Rose Brady who was 42, and in 1880 they had five children ranging in age from 17 to 6.  Rose was an Irish immigrant, so they were both here to achieve the American dream.  Frederick came here in 1840 and became a naturalized citizen in 1868.

As a carpenter apparently his skill was more valued than a normal workman since his pay was higher.  He was working at the Mint in 1879, so his skilled were needed in the process of reviving the Mint.  He was still at the Mint in 1889 with a slightly higher salary of $3.50 per day.

We believe that he was a Confederate soldier, and a private in the Lafayette Artillery within the Louisiana Militia.  He died in 1910 at the age of 72 in New Orleans.

John C. Schuetze was one of the salaried employees at the Mint and therefore held a lot of responsibility.  He was born in Missouri in 1851 and was only 30 in 1881.  He was he son of German immigrants.

He was already on the roll of employees in 1879 as the Deposit Clerk.  He continued to work at the Mint and in 1904 was listed as the Abstract Clerk as a salary of $1,600 annually, so he advanced little if any.

John Shepperly was a German immigrant employed as a Workman.  We have been unable to locate any additional information on him.

Miss Sallie S. Sims (Tassy Symmes) was born in Louisiana in 1860, so she was 21 in 1881.  In the 1880 Federal Census she is shown living with her sister-in-law, Mollie, who is a widow with a one year old son.  After the 1880 Federal Census she disappears in those records probably because of the many spellings of her name and "Tassy" is most likely a nickname.

But she was working at the Mint in 1879, so she was one of the original employees when it reopened.  She was still there in 1889 as an Adjuster and still single at age 29.  Her sister-in-law was also a Federal employee working in the Surveyors-General Office.  The spelling of the last name probably indicates that the family was from Ireland or Scotland.

John Slemmer was born in Maryland in 1819 and at 62 would have been one of the older employees.  In the 1880 Federal Census he lists his occupation as a Clerk in U. S. Mint, which is a slight variation from the Federal Register.  He was employed at the Mint in 1879, so he was an early employee.

He was married to Margaret J. Hughes in 1848 in Baltimore, and in the 1870 Federal Census they are listed with 6 children ranging in age from 17 to 1.

There is a John Slemmer in the Confederate Army but at his age it seems unlikely he served in any fighting capacity, but one never knows.  In 1885 he is still shown at the Mint as a Elevator Operator, perhaps a concession to his age of 66.  He died in New Orleans in 1890 at the age of 71.  Margaret lived another 17 years, dying in New Orleans in 1907.

Mrs. Amelia Stanard was born in Louisiana.  She was employed in the Mint in 1879, so she was one of the first employees.  She apparently found a home there because she was still employed as an Adjuster in 1895 at $2.00 per day.  No other information has been found for her.

William Angelo Steele was born in Alabama in 1836.  He had one of the more responsible jobs at the Mint as is indicated by his salary.  He is listed at the Mint in 1879 and continued to be listed until 1883.  But by 1900 he lists himself as a Cotton Clerk, so he left employment at the Mint.

According to his obituary he was a distinguished Confederate soldier and fought in the Army of Tennessee.  His obituary merely states that he had different jobs before becoming connected with the Queen and Crescent Railroad, so his time at the Mint was not his primary occupation.  It would have been somewhat unusual for someone who served in the Confederate Army to have a position of responsibility at the Mint, so he must have been a person who was politically connected or have had unusual needed talent.

In 1860 he married Catherine (Kate) Murphy and in 1880 they are listed with seven children ranging in age from 17 to 2.  He died in 1912 in New Orleans at the age of 76.  We believe the image to the right is William A. Steele.

Richard Stevenson was born in Pennsylvania.  He was working at the Mint in 1879, but had worked for the Federal Government as a Watchman as early as 1871.  His pay as a Watchman was $2.50 per day, so his move to the Mint would have been somewhat of a step up.  He continued to be listed until 1883 when hew had a job as a Roller, but at a lower pay of $2.50 per day.  We were unable to locate any personal information on his family.

Samuel C. (R.) Stewart was born in Louisiana in 1843 and was employed as the Assayer's Clerk in 1881.  He was also there in 1879, so an early Mint employee.

His father was an Irish immigrant, so he was a first generation American.  In the 1880 Federal Census he is shown married to Sallie S. Harvey and they have four children ranging in age from 8 down to 1.  Sallie was seven years younger.  They were married in New Orleans in 1871.

He died in 1885 in New Orleans at the age of 42, and his will is most unusual.  Apparently his wife was ill and the will was executed by the children's tutor.  The tutor was asking to be relieved of any duties as a part of the petition.

We have been unable to locate any records for William Sullivan.

William Tennant (William Tenent, William Tennent) was born in New York in 1836.  In 1879 he was married to Laura Rideau (Boehm), and in 1880 they had four children from her previous marriage ranging in age from 18 down to 4.  They went on to have one daughter of their own.  In 1881 he was 45 and working as a Workman in the Coiner's Department.

William's parents were Irish immigrants, so he was a first generation citizen.  Laura was born in 1842 in New Orleans to parents who were of German descent.

Benjamin Dudley Thompson was born in 1832 in Tennessee and was one of the early employees in 1879.  He was 49 in 1881.  However, in 1879 he is listed as a Janitor in the General Department but at a salary of $3.00 per day.  He was obviously a person with talent because in 1887 he is listed as the Weigh Clerk with an annual salary of $1,600.  Salaried employees were unusual, so he had really moved up.

In 1862 he married Mary Ellen Jones who was born in Alabama but whose parents had Tennessee connections.  In 1880 they had two children, a daughter 15, and a son 7.  Both of their children were born in Alabama so we know their path to New Orleans.  In Alabama he had been a teacher, so he had the tools to improve their lot in life.  He died in 1889 in New Orleans at the age of 57.

Walter Thompson was born in Louisiana and in 1879 he was already working at the reopened Mint.  In 1883 he was still at the Mint but as a Pressman making $2.50 per day, so a job of lower responsibility.  The name Walter Thompson is to prevalent to develop more information on his family.

Lawrence W. Tillbergh was born in Sweden in 1833 and was 48 years old in 1881.  He immigrated to the United States and became a citizen in 1872.  He is listed in the 1890 City Directory as a Weigh Clerk, so he had moved up and in Mint records was now salaried at $1,600 annually.

His wife, Albina, was born in Louisiana in 1840.  In the 1880 Federal Census they had one son who was 9 years old.  Lawrence died around 1900 because Albina and her son are shown as boarders and she is listed as a widow in the 1900 Federal Census.

Mrs. Sarah A. Todd was born in Ireland in 1848, so she was 33 in 1881.  She was one of two counters working in the General Department, but had the same salary as an Adjuster.  It could be that the standard wage for a woman at the Mint was $1.75 per day.  She only shows up once in the Federal Register and her name is too common to trace.

Michael Toepfer was the only Workman in the Assayer's Department.  He was born in Louisiana in 1855 and was only 26 in 1881.  He was married to Bettie and they had two very young children in 1880.

He became a long term employee of the Mint and in 1891 he was listed as the Foreman of the Assayer's Department, a position he still held in 1905.

Miss Ionia Ruby Torrey was born in Missouri in 1858 and married George Francois Mugnier in 1885 in New Orleans.  In 1885 before her marriage she was still listed as an Adjuster.  He was an engraver for a paper operation.  In 1900 they are listed with one son and one daughter in the Federal Census.  George was seven years older and was a Swiss immigrant.  After their marriage she seems to have dropped from the Mint workforce and concentrated on raising her family.

She was hired in 1879 so she was one of the early employees as the Mint reopened.  In 1881 she was 23, so back in 1879 she would have only been 21 and we are sure one of the youngest employees.  Prior to her Mint work she migrated to New Orleans with her family from New York.  She died in 1922 in New Orleans at the age of 64.

Miss Adele E. Urban was born in Missouri in 1859.  She was listed as an Adjuster in 1881 at the age of 22.  Like many others she was hired in 1879

In 1883 she married John W. Read and they went on to have three sons.  She died in New Orleans in 1929.

John Davis Walsh was born in Louisiana in 1851.  He was the son of Irish immigrants and worked as a Telegraph Operator prior to working at the Mint.  In 1881 he would have been 30 years old.  In all likelihood he was too young to have served in the Civil War.

He married Caroline Soubde in 1886 and they had seven children.  But as often in that era only three of them lived.  Caroline was the daughter of German immigrants.

He died in New Iberia, Louisiana in 1905 at the age of 54.

William Webb was born in Louisiana.  He was working at the Mint in 1879, so like many others he was an early hire but as a Workman in the Coiner's Department.  His name is somewhat common and tracing him beyond 1881 is difficult.  He could have gone on to work at the Post Office.

Thomas Warrenton Wickam (Wickham) was born in Virginia in 1848.  In 1881 he was working as a Workman in the Coiner's Department.  He seems to have found a home at the Mint and in 1891 was listed as the Storekeeper in the General Department at a higher salary of $4.50 per day.  In 1905 he is still there and had worked himself into a salaried position at $1,200 annually.

He was married to Maria Johnson in 1871 and in the 1880 Federal Census they are shown with four children ranging in age from 7 to 1.

Even though he was born in Virginia his sympathies seem to have been with the Union.  He was too young to serve during the Civil War but he enlisted in 1867 and served six years.

He died in Chicago in 1931 at the age of 83.

William J. Woodruff was born in Louisiana and was obviously a person with some skills since he had one of the higher paid positions.  But other than his entry in the Federal Register for 1881 there is no additional information on him.

York Amos Woodward was born in Pennsylvania in 1842, so he was 39 in 1881.  In 1869 he married Lephe Eugenia Riddell who was six years younger.  She was born in Louisiana but her parents were from Massachusetts and Delaware.  He was a Union soldier in the Civil War fighting as a private in the Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry.

Prior to his employment at the Mint he worked for the Post Office as a clerk with an annual salary of $900.  At the Mint he was listed as the Storekeeper in 1881.  But by 1883 he had worked his way up into a salaried position as the Warrant Clerk earning an annual salary of $1,250.  In 1891 his salary was $1,400 annually, but it did not rise again through 1905.  He Died in 1910 in New Orleans at the age of 67.